Unclaimed property is money that belongs to you but has been turned over to the state because the company holding it could no longer reach you. It can include forgotten bank accounts, uncashed paychecks, insurance payments, refunds, utility deposits, securities, and other financial assets. Nevada currently holds hundreds of millions of dollars in unclaimed property for individuals, families, and businesses.

The state’s job should be to return that money—not make Nevadans navigate another frustrating government process to get it back. Today, residents may have to search for their own property, submit a claim, locate documents from an old account or former address, and then wait for the state to review and process it. Nevada’s own unclaimed-property website currently warns that payments may be delayed because of changes to the state’s financial system.

Other states are showing that there is a better way. By securely matching unclaimed-property records with reliable state data, states such as Arkansas and Virginia have begun automatically returning eligible funds without requiring residents to discover the money and complete a traditional claim first. Connecticut has also used expedited and automated systems to make many smaller claims easier to process.

As Treasurer, Drew will modernize Nevada’s system so the state proactively identifies rightful owners and automatically returns eligible property whenever identity and ownership can be reliably verified. More complicated claims will still require safeguards, but ordinary Nevadans should not face unnecessary forms, repeated document requests, or avoidable delays just to recover their own money.

Drew will also prioritize veterans and military families. Service members frequently move between duty stations, deployments, and states, making it easier for utility deposits, refunds, final paychecks, bank balances, and other assets to become disconnected from a current address. Nevada should work with veterans’ organizations and available government records to locate these owners, streamline verification, and automatically disburse eligible funds whenever possible.

Your money should not become a permanent source of revenue for the government. Drew will make returning it a priority.